Gaitway to Relief
Featuring Aaron Brooks of Perfect Postures
Story by Brad W. Wright

It all started with a spider bite, and in laymen's terms, it looked like a zit. In two days it was the size of a golf ball and four days later it was the size of a baseball.

After a visit to a doctor friend of mine and his administration of an antibiotic, he quoted: "We don't need to lance your wound, this drug will kill anything." The operative word, which should have alerted my impulsive instinct, was "wound." The next day I was on my way to the Padre's game when Dr. Nygen called me from Mission Internal, urging me to admit myself into the hospital. After arguing with my ignorance, she asked me, "Mr. Wright, answer me: "Is the 'wound' hard or soft?" I then explained to her that the wound was hard in the middle and soft on the outside. She then changed her request to a demand that I check into Scripps Emergency Hospital and have the "wound" immediately operated on.

Upon arrival at Scripps I informed the doctor that my internist said she wanted to operate on the leg to get the infection out. The doctor at Scripps refused (I withheld his name to protect his incompetence.) He gave me intravenous antibiotics and stated: "This will take care of the problem by tomorrow morning, along with some follow-up antibiotics. It ended up being a decision that could have cost me my life. The next morning the "wound" was still the size of a baseball but has changed color significantly. I now had red lines going up and down my leg from the wound. I was really frightened medically for the first time in my life. Dr. Margolis, from Mission Internal, rushed me to emergency. Two hours later Dr. Curcio, my surgeon, walked into my room, looked down at my leg, looked up at the nurse and said: "We need to operate within an hour."

She then looked me in the eye and said: "Mr. Wright, I need to be candid. I'm not sure if I can save your leg." I looked at her and said: "You're fricken kidding me, right. This started as a pimple." She said: "Mr. Wright, I doubt it was a pimple. In my opinion, it was a spider bite, I assume it was a brown recluse and your "wound" is very angry. If it has attached to the bone or gone into the blood stream, I would have had no options."

Fortunately through God's blessing, I still had my leg after surgery. That was a mental relief. However, I had a one-inch diameter whole in my leg, which needed to heal from the inside out. It created a limp in my gait that lasted approximately 30 days. For the first time in my life, I experienced severe lower back pain, numbness in my legs and the strangest thigh spasms.

Obviously after my ordeal with my leg and the pain that developed in my back and legs, it was nice to see fate take a twist. Oceanside's Deal Baldridge, whom I've known for 25 years, and Linda Scott of Big Bear Lake, whom I've known for 30 years, had both recommended I see the same young professional named Aaron Brooks of Perfect Postures in Encinitas to help alleviate my back pain.

What is ironic about this introduction is that Dean and Linda, who live 110 miles apart and have never met; both recommended me to the same individual. That gave me confidence and Aaron credibility.

When I first saw Aaron I had severe thigh pain, both on the inside and outside of my leg. I also had constant left lower back pain along with left calf and foot numbness and tingling.

Aaron evaluated me and noted that my pelvis was elevated on the left side, causing compression on the spine. It also created a leg length discrepancy. I had developed a functional scoliosis, meaning the curvature of the spine was compensating for the left side of the pelvis being elevated. He also noted that the right side of my pelvis was tilted at a different angle than the left.

Aaron developed a series of corrective exercises that were specifically sequenced to address the elevation of the left side of the pelvis. Each exercise was "setting" up for the next so the order that the exercises were done was critical in achieving a change in the alignment of the pelvis and spine. Those exercises were performed daily for one week.

After the second visit one week later, I had days with less pain and could go through four days until the pain started. My left leg strength had increased and I began to only have lower back tightness.

After a few visits Aaron's evaluation showed that my pelvis was beginning to level. By the time I finished my visits, I had established a routine of exercises to strengthen my core and lower back, and my pelvis straightened and the pain subsided. Each week Aaron would design new non-abrasive exercises tailored to my specific needs. I continue to perform the basic exercises on a daily basis and have avoided several recommendations for epidural or back surgery.

Results are truly amazing, and in my next issue I will highlight other professionals who assisted in my recovery.

"A new generation of exercise therapists that target the cause instead of the symptoms."
-Jack Williams, San Diego Union Tribune

"Going through the Perfect Posture program was one of the best things I've done in a long while. It not only helped me feel better and improve my strength, but now I feel more 'jazzed' than ever!"
-Judi Sheppard Missett, Founder & CEO Jazzercise

"I was desperate for relief and believe I now have a lifetime solution for my pain."
-Brad Wright, South Coast Magazine

Aaron Brooks
Perfect Postures The Exercise Alternative For Pain Relief
345 Saxony Rd. Suite 203-A
Encinitas, CA 92024
760-944-0079
www.perfectpostures.com

(SouthCoast Magazine Spring 2006)